Requiem For The Lost
by Ghost Whisper
Summary: An unexplained attack changes Quatre's life early on, and now he doesn't even know his past. Thrown on the streets to survive, he meets up with one street rat with a similar future...
1. Chapter 1: A Little Change

Story: Requiem For The Lost  
  
Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.  
  
Archives: fanfiction.net  
  
Contact: lindsayw@gmx.net  
  
~  
  
You may never see their faces. . . never know their names. . . but the trials they've suffered will have existed no matter what. How could anyone care so little about the world as to believe that even a single life does not matter? Apathy is truly one of man's greatest evils. . .  
  
~  
  
"And in breaking news today, the Earth and colonies are shocked to hear of the terrorist attack on a private shuttle carrying Nassir Winner, the CEO of Winner Enterprises Inc, one of the wealthiest corporations in the Earth Sphere. While the true cause of such an attack is known, peacekeeping officials have declared the attack the work of a well-known anti-Oz terrorist group. Reasoning behind the attack on such a well-known pacifist is as of yet, unknown. Thanks to prompt support from the military, Mr. Winner has survived, however his five year old son Quatre, who was travelling with him has been reported as missing, and is believed to be dead."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The dry rustling sound of a discarded sheet of newspaper was the most vivid thing he knew. 'Blank Slate' wasn't exactly an appropriate term for his state of mind. After all, he wasn't an infant, and certainly not an innocent, though his pale blond hair and ocean colored eyes gave him the appearance of a young heavenly being. If he had been a true innocent, his eyes would not have held the dull glazed look of one who has seen hell, and fought their way back only to realize their world had been destroyed.  
  
He was no innocent, even if his life had only begun hours ago to his knowledge. Already he had seen death. Upon waking with a sharp pain in his head, he remembered fire and screams. A wall crumbling. it had nearly fallen on him, and would have crushed his small body if he hadn't seen it just in time. Stumbling in search of an exit, he had seen the body of a woman. Green eyes had stared vacantly towards the ceiling, and a large wound on the side of her had matted pale brown hair with blood. Something - probably a piece of one of the walls - had broken open her head.  
  
The smoke had choked the breath out of him, leaving behind a raw feeling when he breathed that lingered even now, hours later. His eyes still watered too, and he blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear away the itchy feeling that plagued them. It had been a miracle that he'd survived - more or less. He still couldn't be sure that he hadn't actually been born in that inferno. Of himself, nothing existed before it. The burning building, and his subsequent escape, were all that made up his past.  
  
'Do I. have a name? I should - shouldn't I? But - I don't think I do. I don't think I have a family either. Wouldn't they have tried to save me? Maybe that woman was my mother - then she couldn't have saved me. Is my mother dead? Where's my father? Would he have tried to save me? What do I do now?'  
  
His thoughts tumbled around aimlessly for an unknown period of time, as he tried to adjust to the reality that he was alone - and perhaps, had always been just that. Maybe he didn't even exist. Could you exist if there was no one to know you?  
  
The newspaper he had been listening to brushed up against his foot, and he bent down to pick it up, aimlessly smoothing out the wrinkles in it. He had to exist. If he didn't, could he have picked up the paper? Imaginary people couldn't touch things. He was real. He was! He just - didn't have a name - that was all.  
  
A scream rang out from an alley to his left, and his head jerked up sharply at the sound, pupils dilating with renewed awareness. Fear washed over him in a wave, and he scrambled to his feet, unsure of whether he should run away from the sound, or towards it in an effort to help whomever it was.  
  
Biting his lower lip uncertainly, he allowed his feet to shuffle him forward, against his better instincts that screamed at him to run away. One step . . . then two . . . within less then a minute, his disobedient body had carried him to the edge of an alleyway. Cautiously, he peeked past the corner, and his eyes widened it shock and no small bit of fear at the scene that confronted him.  
  
A boy perhaps his age, maybe a little older, with shaggy black hair was being held against the wall by a large meaty hand wrapped around his throat. He heels drummed weekly against the surface behind him, and small choked whimpers could be heard. The man pinning him was smiling maliciously, teeth shinning wetly in the dim smoke hazed light of the alley.  
  
'What. . .' His mouth fell open as he silently tried to take in what was going on. 'That man - he - Oh no."  
  
"So," The man growled to his captive in a low voice. "You and them kids with you decided to stop paying yer dues, did you? That's just too bad." He smiled, looking amused, and his free hand reached up to sweep back greasy looking hair. "Me an Rolf, we were thinking of givin you a nice little present - maybe, only half price with a little help for a task we had. But you had to go and spoil our great working re-lation-ship, eh?"  
  
The man shifted his weight, pushing hard on the boy's neck, causing his small hands to reach up and claw at the greasy-haired man's larger ones. The unnamed boy watching winced in sympathy, and his thoughts danced furiously around, searching for an idea on what to do. "Now I'm not an unfair guy," the man continued in a falsely sincere purr. "I'm just a fella trying to make a livin. Me and me buddies, we've decided to let you go this time."  
  
The boy's eyes widened, and a gleam of hope shone through. "But ya know," he continued. "We want a little extra sumthin in payment. We'll let ya run back to that little pack a' yours, but ya'd better take this message to yer pals. In one week, we want double the . . . 'rent money', and that little leader of yers is the one who'll de-liver it. My gang would like to have words with him."  
  
Here, the gang member's other hand reached out to tangle itself in the boy's shaggy hair and yank it hard. "If ya don't pay up . . . we'll flush you and yer mates outa that hole like the pack a' rats ya are - do I make myself clear?" The boy nodded frantically, his eyes rolling back and forth in fear. "Good."  
  
With amazing speed considering his size, the man released his hold on the smaller figure, smirking in triumph, as the child slumped down to the ground, breath coming in shuddering gasps as he curled himself into a huddling ball. As the man began to exit the alleyway, the blond haired boy who had been watching the proceedings looked around frantically for a hiding place. A fetid pile of trash caught his attention, and breathing shallowly, he burrowed into it, pulling greasy fast food wrappers, and grimy rags over his small body.  
  
Heavy footsteps sounded not too far from him, and he held his breath. 'I'm not here.' He chanted silently. 'I'm not here; I'm not here I'mnotherenotherenothere . . .' The beat of the man's movement gradually faded away, and the child made his heart begin beating once more, forcing movement into limbs that had stiffened in fear.  
  
As he scrambled out of the pile, he brushed hands down the front of the grey long sleeved shirt he wore, trying to wipe away stale crumbs and the awful smell that clung to them. Once again, the street was empty, showing no sign that a person had been there. With little thought, he made a decision, and crept cautiously away from the light of the street and over to the other boy's side.  
  
"Are - " The words were hoarse from the smoke he had breathed in earlier, and a slight uncertainty of forming words that he couldn't remember learning. They came out in a breathy treble, and he opened and closed his mouth, trying to get used to the shape and sound of the words on his tongue. "Are you okay?"  
  
The boy crouched in front of him jerked up at the sound, fixing him with dark brown eyes. "Yeah 'm fine. Justin's too stupid to do anything but threaten people anyways. They only sent him after me, 'cause they know I'm to small to fight back - doesn't mean I can't do anything though." His eyes narrowed defensively. "I haven't seen you 'round here before. You from G-sector or something? I wouldn't try moving in her 'f I were you. There's already too many gangs 'round. If you don't belong to one, you'll just as soon end up in a dumpster as some place with decent shelter - prolly more likely really."  
  
The blond boy swallowed hard at the sudden questions, wondering how to answer. "I - I don't know where I'm from - or where I am." He said quietly, hoping the boy in front of him would accept the answer.  
  
"What? You get lost or something? You're in E-sector kid."  
  
"E-sector?"  
  
The brown-eyed boy in front of him shook his head in exasperation, black hair flying in all directions. "Man, you really were sheltered, huh? You sure ain't no street rat - that's for sure. D'ya come from A-sector? I heard them higher ups live there, and kids from there don't know nothing 'bout the real world - no offence or nothing."  
  
The street boy walked around him, examining him from all angles. "Ya sure are a scrawny one, eh? Clothes look like they used ta be nice - better watch out for that. Lots a' people wouldn't think twice 'bout stealing 'em - specially with you being so small." One hand reached up to his chin, and he rubbed it as though considering something. "What the heck - My names Bit, kid. Just Bit - no last name or nothin. S' not like they're common 'round here. D'ya got a name?"  
  
"A name? No. . . I don't think so - I don't know." His eyes grew vague, as he dug through the few memories left to him. There was no luck. Everything that might have existed before the fire and the building had faded out of his mind. "I don't know." He repeated, sighing, and his shoulders slumped under the incredulous gaze of Bit.  
  
"Well." Bit faded off, looking stumped. "You don't remember where you're from; you don't remember what your name is - You get knocked on the head recently or something?"  
  
The nameless boy reached a hand up to feel his scalp. Just behind his left ear was a decent sized lump that ached when he touched it. "Maybe?" he offered tentatively. "I don't remember." A startled laughed caused him to stare at the older boy in surprise. "Bit? What-?"  
  
"Sorry, sorry," the black haired boy waved him off. "S' just, it's rather funny hearing that come from you. You prolly wouldn't 'member that, if you don't know your own name. I heard of cases like this. Jo - friend o' mine - told me how his Ma hit herself on the head once afore she died and he came to live with us. Says that she couldn't remember the craziest things, like what birthdays was, for a few months after. Called it 'amesa' or something - I bet that's what happened to you."  
  
"So - I might remember something else later then?" A trickle of hope spread through him at the thought that he would have to live this nameless existence forever. A month was such a very long time though. . . he knew that much - But at least it wasn't a year! That would have been forever! He could never have waited that long.  
  
"Sure kid," Bit replied. "Don' know how long It'll take, but like as not, something'll come back to you. Got a place to stay till then?"  
  
"N- no. . ." The blond boy considered his options. He could stay around here - but considering the way Bit had been grabbed by that awful smelling man for 'rent money' - whatever that was - it probably wasn't safe right around here. He didn't think he would be particularly welcome in someone else's home either, now that he smelled faintly of the garbage he had been hiding in.  
  
"Well then, you'll come with me kid. I'll take you to Duo - he'll say whether or not you can stay with us. Little thing like you prolly couldn't defend yourself on the streets anyway - 'specially seein how you hit your head an all." The slightly older boy began walking off, and he waved his hand for the other to follow.  
  
The nameless boy felt a small smile tug at his lips as he felt his luck turning up. Skittering after Bit with quick steps, he decided not to comment on his new friends similar size.  
  
~ ~  
  
TBC  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
AN: Okay folks, this story has been in the planning stages since last spring, so even though I'm shuddering at the idea of another project to take on, I have to admit that it's not exactly new, or spur of the moment.  
  
Anyways, you can probably guess who the main character is already. *reads character description at beginning of chapter* Uh. . . you can, right? The other main character in the story. well lets just say that a certain braided someone will be introduced soon. ^_^  
  
For those of you following Shadowed Tears, and getting irritated with the long wait for an update - Don't Worry! I'm am working very hard on getting it completed, and have it about half finished, with the rest of the chapter planned out - there's just been a minor snag in the details of a certain scene, but I'm trying to get it worked out and posted as soon as humanly possible. 


	2. Chapter 2: First Impressions

Story: Requiem For The Lost  
  
Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.  
  
Archives: fanfiction.net  
  
Contact: lindsayw@gmx.net  
  
~  
  
There's something infinitely tragic about human nature; that we constantly fight to survive, though no power within us can change our fate. We fight, even knowing we are doomed to failure, and that is a bright and shining light - and an ironic fate.  
  
~  
  
".Members of the Colonies' Medical Relief Organization are stating that the rash of viruses on L2 colony V08744 are finally dying down. The colony has been released from quarantine, however citizens and visitors are being warned to take precautions. Anyone with showing signs of a sudden fever, or loss of muscle control is advised to seek help at their local hospital, or a CMRO station."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
'The Hole', as Bit liked to call his gangs' hideout, was what must have once been a quaint little grocery store. Once. Now however, it was a small greyish-yellow colored building, with rotting boards cover empty spaces where windows and door would have once been. All of the walls appeared to be caving in, and it seemed only the pressure they exerted on each other that stopped the structure from collapsing entirely.  
  
Small and large holes not big enough to be windows were scattered over the exterior. It was to one of these larger gaps, just slightly above ground level, that his new friend motioned him. The blond haired boy approached, gazing at the other in askance.  
  
Bit sighed and shook his head. "You really don't know nothing, do you?" Without waiting for a reply, the street boy continued. "This is our entrance," he explained. "You didn't really expect that we've learned how to walk through those boards do you? Besides, tearin 'em down would make it that much easier for others to get in."  
  
"I guess," he said quietly. He followed behind Bit, shimmying his way through the small space. The rough stucco scraped at his skin as he passed though, making him wince at the slight burning pain, but he shrugged it off. The boy stumbled to his knees with a quiet "oof!" as his feet caught on the edge of the hole. A hand appeared in front of his face, and he accepted it with quiet thanks as he was pulled to his feet.  
  
Bit was grinning at him. "I did that my first time too," he admitted. "Duo's always having to remind the littles to watch their first step." He motioned the boy out of the hallway they had entered, and into a fair sized room.  
  
Inside were several children. Most looked to be about the blond boys age, and a couple might have been slightly smaller. The difference in size from child to child did not seem to be very great however, and none of them were much older than he was to all outward appearance. Even Bit, who was one of the older ones, couldn't have been more than a year older than him.  
  
"Hey Driff!" Bit called out to a blond haired boy who was one of the larger kids. "Did the coppers give you any trouble over at Macy's?"  
  
"Nah. That guy just keeps getting fatter an' fatter. He had trouble waddling over to the phone ta call fer help!" Many of the children laughed at this. "But," Driff continued more seriously, "I heard 'im talking to the cops sayin he wanted to hire younger help, so next time ya send someone fer medicine or food 'r something, make sure they're good!"  
  
"Thanks fer the warning Driff. We'll have ta send someone to check 'im out 'fore we try goin on any more raids I think." Bit turned towards him, and motioned towards the inside of the room. "Go on, kid. Wait here. I gotta talk with Duo, so just sit tight, kay?"  
  
The blond boy nodded slightly and entered under the curious eyes of the watching children. Finding a relatively clean patch of ground, he sat down to wait, placing his hands in his lap and watching them intently as he listened to the receding sounds of Bit's footsteps in the hallway.  
  
"So kid, watcha doin here?" He looked up, startled at Driff's sudden question. Biting his lip, he wondered if it was safe to tell another person about his current problems. He had gotten lucky with Bit, after all, but the image of the man in the alleyway threatening the black-haired boy did not want to leave his head.  
  
After a minute of thought, and trying to block out the uncomfortable feeling caused by a roomful of curious stares, he answered. "I'm lost. I don't really know how to get back to the place I used to live, so Bit said that he'd see about me staying here."  
  
Driff gave him a lengthy stare, and he heard a few mutters from some of the other children. "Ya sure don't look like you're from around here - no one wear's clothes that look like they came from a dumpster in A-sector. If Bit trusts ya."  
  
He nodded quickly, trying to come up with an excuse that would pacify them. "I don't know where the clothes came from," he said. It was the truth, actually, because he really couldn't remember. It just wasn't the whole truth. "I figured that they were so dirty, that no one would want them anyway." He gestured to the soot stains all over the material.  
  
"Lotsa people 'round here, as wouldn't care about that. If it ain't fulla holes, or fallin off a body, then they'll go fer it." Driff told him. "Prolly better if we try an get something else." He turned to a red headed boy sitting off to the left. "Eh Cagey - you got some old things don't ya?"  
  
The red-haired boy looked up from a conversation he was having with a petit black girl, and grimaced. Getting up, he went to one corner of the room, and rummaged around in a scuffed red-plastic cooler. He pulled out a ragged white t-shirt, and a dirty pair of cut off jeans and handed them to the blond. " 'Ere. They were my little brother's." He didn't elaborate.  
  
"Thanks." His voice was still horse, and came out sometimes in a near whisper, so he wasn't sure if Cagey had even heard him before he turned away and sat back down. Before he could change, Bit came back into the room, followed by a boy with waist length brown hair, dressed in clothes similar to those he had just been handed.  
  
"So you're the kid Bit brought here eh?"  
  
"Y-Yes."  
  
"C'mon. I want ta talk with you." The blond boy hesitated, and then shuffled out of the room after him, still carrying his armful of clothing.  
  
~ ~  
  
The boy with long brown hair stopped at the end of the hallway, and gestured him into a room empty except for a few crates of various sizes. When both were inside, he shut the door and leaned against it with his arms crossed.  
  
"Bit says that you don't remember anything." It was a statement, not a question. The younger boy nodded hesitantly, unsure of what to make of this new person. He was older than him, but slight, and he had an angry look in his eyes. At the same time, there was something undeniably 'right' about him, that made the blond inclined to trust him with his secrets, few as they might be.  
  
"No," he began. "Just fire. . . and a dead woman . . . Bit says it probably happened when I hit my head - but I don't remember that either." He smiled weakly at the rather pathetic joke. Bit had found it funny, but Duo didn't seem to care.  
  
"If it's true, then you'll be staying here." Violet eyes appraised him with a slight suspicion. "You don't seem to be the type any bigger guys would hire ta help get rid of us, and it wouldn't feel right leaving someone like you on the streets. They'd eat you alive."  
  
The blond felt an enormous rush of relief at these words, combined with a shudder at what could have happened to him if he hadn't met up with Bit. Duo's next words made him clasp his hands in front of him uncertainly.  
  
"I know ya don't remember anything, but do ya have any skills at all? If you're gonna stay here, then ya gotta earn your keep, even if you are still a little kid."  
  
"I - I guess - I can hide pretty well, since I'm small." It was the only thing that he could think of, and he had the feeling it wasn't much. Any child on the streets knew how to hide well; and there were several children in the room he had left that were smaller than him, even if they were much younger.  
  
Duo sighed, and placed a hand on his forehead. "We'll have to figure something out then. But in the meantime, you need a name. You don't remember that either, right?" He shook his head. It was just another thing that he needed. In fact, he was worse than the small children in this way, because he had none of the knowledge of the streets that was needed to survive.  
  
"Cat."  
  
"Huh?" The blond looked at Duo in confusion at the statement that had come from seemingly nowhere.  
  
"Your name." Duo told him, emphasis placed on the second word, as though the younger boy had lost his ability to think, along with his memories. "You don't have a name, and you said that you're good at hiding. I figure, that ya gotta know how to be quiet to do that. Besides, if we call you Cat, it might confuse the cops when we're on raid - they won't know if we're talking about an animal or a girl or boy or something." He smiled brightly, and it transformed his entire face. "Like a code name, get it?"  
  
'Cat' did not mention his lack of knowledge as to what a codename was, but nodded at the logic. In any case, he did rather like the name. It seemed familiar, as though he should know it, and that made him happy. Perhaps he would get his memories back sooner than he had thought.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Someone was crying.  
  
It was dark in the small room, and rather cramped now that all of the children were there. There must have been at least ten, though Cat had not bothered to count. The period of time he had spent staring at the ground trying to figure out who he was must have been longer then he'd thought. Though the trek to the Hole had been a lengthy one, he hadn't realized just how late it was when they arrived. By the time he had gotten back the room his eyes were already trying to slip closed, and he could barely speak from yawning. With the lights of the colony dimmed to 'night', it had been all that his tired mind could do to find himself a place to sleep.  
  
Now that he had lain down and was covered by a relatively thin piece of cloth, however, he found himself suddenly unable to sleep. Everything that had happened to him that day whirled through his mind in a mad blend of colors, words, and sounds.  
  
Someone was crying. From another place in the darkness, he heard a quiet rustling sound as one of the other children withdrew themselves from the slight warmth provided by the thin blankets they each had, or shared. Quiet footsteps moved closer to the barely audible whimpers and sobs, and he heard a few shushing sounds as the one comforted the other. Slowly the cries faded away until the dark room was silent once more.  
  
Another child gasped and moaned in their sleep, and was quickly awakened. "Quiet!" a hushed voice whispered. "Don't start wakin' up everyone an their dog!"  
  
Cat pulled himself into a sitting position with a frustrated sigh, keeping the small scrap of blanket firmly wrapped about him. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. The place was just too different. He may not have had anything to compare his new sleeping arrangements with, but he wished there was something just a little bit warmer, and little quieter, and a little less dark.  
  
"Can't ya sleep Cat?" The whisper that seemed to drift out of nowhere made him jump in surprise, and he turned to face Bit.  
  
"I guess I can't stop thinking about everything that's happened today," he whispered back. In the background, someone growled for him to 'shut up and go to sleep', and he flinched, shutting his mouth quickly.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout him," Bit whispered, pulling him to his feet. "Come, let's go outside for a minute - jus' be quiet. One of the reason's no one else tries to come here, is cause they think it's too unstable for anyone to touch without it fallin on 'em. We don't want to change that eh?"  
  
The blond haired child nodded, and allowed himself to be led slowly through the maze of sleeping bodies towards what he assumed was the entrance. He couldn't really tell in the darkness. A very quiet creaking sound could be heard as the door out into the hallway was opened, and a tinge of grey made itself known amidst the black as light from the moon and the few working streetlamps streamed through the windows to pool on the floor.  
  
"Why did you let me come with you? Here, I mean." Cat asked the older boy. He didn't want to question his good fortune with the way his life - what there was of it - was going, but the thought wouldn't leave him alone. "It's not like I'm much help to you right now - even the little kids know more than me."  
  
Bit gave him a quirky grin. "Yeah, but why would I want ta leave you? Ya might help us out one time, and - we need the numbers."  
  
"Number's?"  
  
The black haired boy winced. "You 'prolly should know about us here - at least a little bit."  
  
His tone was guarded, and Cat couldn't blame him. He was a new comer - and even a young child could collect information. They were sometimes better at it than adults were. 'How did I get that idea?' he wondered.  
  
"We're all kids here," Bit continued, blithely unaware of his friend's thoughts. "I guess ya can see that we can't do much on our own - too small." He frowned at his hands. "But mos' guys out there - they expect that. They think we'll be helpless, so when we work together - BAM! - They don't know what hit 'em." His face darkened. "A ways back, a bunch of us got sick - real sick. There was a pluge - plag - a really bad disease goin 'round. It got so bad, that some of the littlest died. 'Course one o' the older boys Solo couldn't have that, so he went out to find where they had medicine."  
  
Cat frowned. "But where is he? There isn't anyone here older than you or Duo."  
  
Bit hushed him with a wave of his hand. "Comin to that, jus' wait. Anyways, he got the oldest kids to go out and ask 'round, along with himself. They had ta split up, so it had to be the oldest see? But - they got sick right away, even if they did find out. Duo - he was like Solo's kid brother - he went to the hospital to get the meds, but Solo and the others died afore it could work."  
  
"So that's why Duo's in charge then?"  
  
"Well, he was sick too, but once he got better then ya." The black haired boy stopped and turned to face him, brown eyes gleaming in the darkness. "But don' ask him 'bout it kay? He's doin' the best he can, but little or not, if you remind him 'bout Solo, he'll get mad."  
  
The blond haired boy nodded solemnly. His seriousness was broken by a yawn however, and Bit tapped him on the shoulder. "You go back ta sleep kay? Tomorrow we gotta teach you the ropes - and we don' want you passin' out on us."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
TBC.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Ghost Whisper: Did it turn out okay? It was a long time - I know - but too many stories are demanding my attention. ^_^;; Not sure when the next chapter will be, but keep an eye out - you don't want to miss Cat's introduction to the world of the streets, do you? ^_^ 


	3. Chapter 3: What We Do Know

**Ghost Whisper**: Thanks to all who have reviewed so far! It encourages me to continue down the long road that this fic is setting out for me. I understand that I am updating slowly – and how irritating it must be, however I have every intention of continuing this story, and of it being a long, multiparter/story arc, spanning most of the GW timeline.  
  
On a side note: Who here has read the GW episode zero's? If you can, take a look at Duo's right now. Now, at the beginning of the chapter where they show members of his group, look carefully. Isn't there one who looks an awful lot like Quatre? O.O !! That's one of the things that sparked the idea for this story.  
  
If you want you can go to this page: http:www. stormpages.com /zero/translate/ pages08-09.jpg (remove spaces) to see the picture I'm talking about. It's at the top left. 

* * *

__

_Why is it that the memories that stay with us the most vividly are often bad ones? Is it an instinct born into us, that we seek to torture ourselves in such a way?_

* * *

****

**Chapter 3  
**  
"This place is... really crowded." Cat said wonderingly, as he stared out into the midst of the scores of people surrounding Duo and himself. He didn't even have to turn his head to see five new people take the places of a different group from one moment to the next. Muscles tensed, he shifted his weight just a little closer to Duo. Walking from the quiet alleyway into this riot of sound, color, and movement had made him feel very small and very weak all of the sudden.  
  
Everyone, it seemed, was talking to one another, whether it was haggling over the price of some beat up looking potatoes, calling out to children that had strayed to far from their parents, or shouting at rude strangers who pushed and shoved themselves at place in the crowd. The noise level was high enough that he was surprised he could even hear Duo's voice, as the boy rattled out streams of information that he suspected he was supposed to memorize before the day was out.  
  
"...course no one here is really loaded – this isn't the A-sector market after all. Even B-sector's a little to rich for us to go. We stick out too much, right? Anyways, G or F sectors too rough. The people there's no better off then us, and they'd just as soon trash us as let us get something – prolly sooner."  
  
Cat barely heard the words, content to gaze out at the crowds and contemplate the people around him. Everything was so new. One woman dressed in a dirty brown dress held at child barely a year old, muttering to it in a comforting manner while it squalled, an irritated frown crossing her face. And – over there, just barely visible among the press of people was a tall man with hair almost the same shade as his. The boy briefly entertained the thought that the man might know him – might even be family! – before the object of his stare vanished.  
  
"Hey! Ya listenin at all?" Cat started at the feel of the other boy giving him a hard poke in the shoulder, and turned to see violet eyes fixed on him in a frustrated glare.  
  
"I – yes – kind of?" He stammered uncomfortably. He really had been trying. It wasn't like he had any other place to go, so for now he was living off of Duo's kindness, and any skills that he could pick up. It was just that he found it so hard to concentrate on learning the 'rules', when the world was laid out for him like this.  
  
Duo sighed. "Look kid, later, when ya got the important stuff down, there'll be time for sight seeing. But this place ain't a playground; so ya might want ta learn things while you have the chance."  
  
Shifting uncomfortably at Duo's tone of voice, Cat let his head droop. Even though it was hard to contain his curiosity, he knew that Duo was right. What had happened when he met Bit yesterday had driven off any misconceptions he might get about what life was like here. It would be all too easy for him to get into trouble. He had to try harder. "Y – yeah."  
  
"Right then. Never go after the really well off lookin ones. They'll either get ya thrown in jail, cause they got connections, or they're gang types – and they got connections too." Duo shuddered, and fingered a thin scar that dragged across his forearm. "Ya don't want to see what they do with the ones that cross them. They don't go easy on kids."  
  
"What-"  
  
"Trust me. You don't need to know." A blank look crossed Duo's face for a minute making Cat feel horrible. Had he reminded Duo of something that he'd wanted to forget? He shouldn't have asked. Hesitantly, Cat lifted a hand up to the other boy's shoulder pausing just before they touched. The two weren't particularly close. Would Duo get mad at him for being too friendly?  
  
Before he could complete the thought, or the gesture, Duo shook his head and snapped out of whatever memory had held him. "Anyway-" Whatever he had been about to say was cut off at that moment as a group of several overly thin women walked past them, shoving them apart without a pause in their gossiping. "Watch it ya old bags!" Duo's irritated shout followed after the women, who continued on their way, oblivious. He turned back to Cat and shrugged, "feh. Now where was I...?"  
  
"You were saying who to stay away from."  
  
"Right! Now the first thing ya need to know is whether they're worthwhile..."

* * *

__

_Gasping, Cat lifted a hand to his forehead, brushing away the beads of sweat that had gathered in a thin film. Thick grey smoke filled his lungs from the breath, and he choked, feeling as though someone had suddenly reached into his chest and twisted the air from his lungs, as one would wring the water from a cloth.  
  
"Get everyone out now!" a deep voice called loudly, though it was muffled by the constant crackling of red-gold flames, and the frightened shouts that accompanied each shudder of the building's frame.  
  
He peeked his head out from his position under the heavy oak desk where he had taken shelter at the first explosion of sound that had rocked the building, and terror that had filled him from all angles. Where was his father? He immediately regretted moving when a fresh wave of smoke billowed into his face, causing his eyes to sting so horribly, and a burning pain to hit his chest, though he'd barely managed to inhale before he remembered to hold his breath.  
  
Stupid! Hadn't he been told so many times before that it was best to stay low to the ground if there was a fire? Now, here he was on his knees retching for air while his slender arms clutched his middle.  
  
"Fa-ther!" His childish treble called tremulously into the chaos. "Fa-" he coughed again, and with weak, trembling arms, began to crawl out from underneath his refuge of wood. How far away was the door? How many rooms did he have to cross through before he was outside?  
  
His eyes stung, and he rubbed the back of a hand across them furiously, feeling tears streak across the skin. Under the haze of the smoke, the distance to the door seemed to expand, the color of the wood panelling on the walls and the blue-grey linoleum running together in a blurry mess, like a child playing with finger paints.  
  
Feeling very small, he crawled tentatively forward, flinching at the feel of the already very warm floor under his hands. Far away, something cracked and fell to the ground so violently, that he felt the building shudder underneath him. Whimpering, he fell down and covered his head with his arms, trying to ward off any further breakage near him.  
  
'Father I don't like this. Father, why did you leave me here alone? I could have stayed with you, and the woman ran away to fast, and I don't want to be here anymore, so please come save me cause I'm scared and it's hot where are you Father?'  
  
He lifted his head up from underneath the protective cover of his arms, and shakily rose to his hands and knees again. He held his face upwards, in spite of the smoke hitting his eyes, and took shallow breaths. He couldn't look down now. It was just a few more feet now – just a little further, and he would be in the next room, where Father would be waiting for him...  
  
When his fingers bumped something hard and smooth, he lowered his gaze again, to see a black high-heeled shoe. Someone was still wearing it. He followed the long leg with ripped brown stockings, to see a grey wool skirt. And a dirty white shirt that held traces of once being starched to a perfect crispness.  
  
Funny... Hadn't the woman who was taking care of him been wearing that?  
  
Finally, his eyes made their way to the lady's face, and he gasped, folding in on himself and clutching at his chest as he huddled against the wall. Blood was streaming in sticky lines across her face and to the floor from a spot somewhere above her ear.  
  
Somewhere above his head, an awful groaning noise alerted him to impending danger. Cat looked up in horror to see a thick wooden beam, exposed by gyprock that had been burned away and weakened by the flames, about to come crashing down on him. Stifling the instinctive cry of horror that pushed up his throat, he flung him self to the side, fast enough to stop from being crushed, but not fast enough to avoid it completely.  
  
The beam clipped him hard on the side of his head, sending him into an ungraceful sprawl on the floor. Numbness spread through his limbs, and his vision began to blur. 'Pretty...' he thought dazedly, watching the flames smudged together like his finger-paints, before fading completely into darkness...and a pleasant floating...with a roaring in his ears... and..._

* * *

"No!" He shouted, horrified. Before he realized that he'd been sleeping, Cat bolted straight up in bed, his back stiff and a sheen of sweat covering his limbs. Frantically, he pushed away blankets that were sticking damply to him, and wrapped trembling arms about himself.  
  
"Go to sleep!" Growled a voice that he vaguely recognized as Laina, one of the oldest kids living at the 'Hole'. From out of the darkness, a hand, bony from lack of nutrition, gripped tightly around his wrist. Cat jumped at the sudden contact, jerking his hand away as his breath caught in his throat. A muttered oath stopped him from scrambling away in fear.  
  
"Oi! Are ya trying ta rip my arm out or something?" was the harsh whisper from a barely visible silhouette. Almost immediately, Cat recognized the voice as Bit's, and sagged back down to his makeshift bed in relief.  
  
"I- I'm sorry. I just-" He shivered, recalling the horrible dream. It wasn't so much the fire, or even the fear of being trapped that haunted him after waking. It was the terrifying feeling of dying – of losing himself, and feeling parts of him slip away. The blonde whimpered, pulling his arms tightly about his midsection as if to hold himself together. Arms wrapped around him from behind, and Cat felt some of the tension reluctantly drain away.  
  
"S'okay kid. We all get nightmares – comes with the territory I think. Even if ya don't have 'em comin' in, ya get 'em soon enough. Just don't let them phase ya, or you'll fall apart – and ya won't do anyone good then."  
  
Cat nodded, accepting Bit's words as truth. "I think – I remembered something," he said in a small voice, fiddling with the threadbare blanket that was still twined about his legs. "There was fire, and I remember trying to find my father – and it was so hot – everything was falling apart. A big piece of wood fell..." he reached a hand up to his head, where the painful lump was finally starting to heal. "I – I felt like I was dying..." He huddled closer into Bit's arms, willing the vivid images to go away. "Can you – stay with me?" he asked. "Please? I don't to be alone."  
  
Bit nodded his head; chin digging into the smaller blonde's back. "Yeah. I can stay with ya." The two children shifted until they were laying side by side, and Bit pulled the blanket over them. Small as it was, they were both exposed to the chill air in places, but if they huddled close enough together it wasn't a problem. "Now, ya better sleep, afore Laina decides that knockin' ya out would be a faster way ta get ya quiet."

* * *

****

**Ghost Whisper**: So there's the third chapter. Next time we'll have a little bit more interaction between Duo and Quatre, as well as some... trouble... dun dun dun! Cue creepy suspense music.


End file.
